Kali Presenting the Heads of Chanda and Munda to Durga: Scene from the Devi Mahatmya (Glory of the Goddess)

India (Himachal Pradesh, Guler)

Not on view

In order to engage in battle, Durga manifests as the fierce, emaciated goddess Kali. At the center of the frenzied battle, together with her lion vehicle (vahana), Kali beheads the demons Chanda and Munda. In the upper right, both goddesses appear: Kali presents the heads of the demons to Durga, who is shown in a benign form with many arms and holding a trident. In turn, Durga bestows the name Chamunda on her terrible manifestation.

Kali Presenting the Heads of Chanda and Munda to Durga: Scene from the Devi Mahatmya (Glory of the Goddess), Graphite and ink on paper, India (Himachal Pradesh, Guler)

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